Two compact Lexus hybrids

These two cars have been around for a few years now and still have me scratching my head. They are aimed at people who like the Toyota Prius, but want something a little more fancy. But my take is that upper middle class people who like the Toyota Prius would just stick with the Prius. Why pay thousands more when their message is-- "I want an environmentally friendly car with a plebian badge."?

First up, we have the HS250h, which is sort of a mix of the Prius and Camry Hybrid. Its exterior screams "generic three box compact sedan". No wonder Lexus stopped selling this here last year.

Then we have the CT200h. It certainly looks better than the HS and is more versatile, as it is a hatchback. I have been seeing more and more of these on the road, and my interest led me to research it more for this post. But I was flabbergasted when I learned that this sporty Lexus has about the same horsepower as the Prius-- 134. I really thought that it would have at least 200. This might be acceptable in East Asia and Western Europe, but not here.